From Dr. Seuss to Jonathan Swift: Exploring the history behind the satire
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=936
A lesson plan for grade 12 English Language Arts
Before reading Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels, students use The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss as an introduction to historical allusion, satire, and symbolism. After the teacher has read The Butter Battle Book, students identify the general social commentary or criticism that is made in the book as a starting place for further research. In small groups, students find additional information that provides background or explanation about the topics Dr. Seuss explores in the text. After students have reported their research about events of the early 1980s that might have influenced Dr. Seuss’s subject matter, the class engages in a discussion about satirical techniques used in literature. The teacher explains the background on the events that Swift satirizes in the passage, and students meet in groups to conduct further research on historical events present in the novel. After sharing their findings with the class, students write a concluding essay synthesizing the exploration of historical references. Readwritethink provides a link to the full online text of the novel; helpful resources for teaching about historical allusions, satire and symbolism, assignment guidelines; an essay assignment handout; and a rubric for assessment. This lesson plan provides options of extension activities, web resources on the novel, and opportunities for student assessment and reflection.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 12
- Goal 1: The learner will express reflections and reactions to print and non-print text as well as to personal experience.
- Objective 1.01: Compose reflective texts that give the audience:
- an understanding of complex thoughts and feelings.
- a sense of significance (social, political, or philosophical implications).
- a sense of encouragement to reflect on his or her own ideas. - Objective 1.02: Respond to texts so that the audience will:
- empathize with the voice of the text.
- make connections between the learner's life and the text.
- reflect on how cultural or historical perspectives may have influenced these responses.
- examine the learner's own response in light of peers' responses.
-recognize features of the author's use of language and how the learner relates these features to his/her own writing.
- Objective 1.01: Compose reflective texts that give the audience:
- Goal 2: The learner will inform an audience by exploring general principles at work in life and literature.
- Objective 2.01: Locate, process, and comprehend texts that explain principles, issues, and concepts at work in the world in order to:
- relate complex issues from a variety of critical stances.
- discern significant differences and similarities among texts that propose different ideas related to similar concepts. - Objective 2.03: Compose texts (in print and non-print media) that help the audience understand a principle or theory by:
- researching experience for relevant principles that relate to themes in literature and life.
- presenting a thesis, supporting it, and considering alternative perspectives on the topic.
-adjusting the diction, tone, language, and method of presentation to the audience.
- Objective 2.01: Locate, process, and comprehend texts that explain principles, issues, and concepts at work in the world in order to:
- Goal 3: The learner will be prepared to enter issues of public concern as an advocate.
- Objective 3.02: Organize and deliver an argument so that an intended audience respects it by:
- wording the claim clearly.
- specifying reasons in support of the claim that are likely to be convincing.
-- adopting an appropriate tone and stance toward the issue.
- Objective 3.02: Organize and deliver an argument so that an intended audience respects it by:
- Goal 4: The learner will analyze and critique texts from various perspectives and approaches.
- Objective 4.01: Develop critiques that enable an audience to judge claims and arguments by:
-establishing and applying clear, credible criteria for evaluation.
- substantiating assessments with reasons and evidence. - Objective 4.02: Develop critiques that give an audience:
- an appreciation of how themes relate among texts.
-an understanding of how authors' assumptions, cultural backgrounds, and social values affect texts.
-an understanding of how more than one critical approach affects interpretation.
- Objective 4.01: Develop critiques that enable an audience to judge claims and arguments by:
- Goal 5: The learner will deepen understanding of British literature through exploration and extended engagement.
- Objective 5.01: Explore British literature by:
- recognizing common themes that run through works, using evidence from the texts to substantiate ideas.
- relating the cultural and historical contexts to the literature and identifying perceived ambiguities, prejudices, and complexities.
- making associations between historical and current viewpoints.
-understanding how literary movements influence writers. - Objective 5.02: Extend engagement with selected works of British literature by:
- observing how the imaginative experience of literature broadens and enriches real life.
- relating style, meaning, and genre (including fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry).
- applying literary, grammatical, and rhetorical terms of literature.
- demonstrating in various print and non-print media the significance of works.
-discerning the effect of interpreting literature from various critical perspectives.
- Objective 5.01: Explore British literature by:
- Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
- Objective 6.01: Apply knowledge of literary terms, grammar, and rhetoric in order to write clearly, succinctly, and accurately by:
- understanding how to use and apply grammatical, metaphorical, or rhetorical devices.
- recognizing how to use different language conventions (such as loose or periodic sentences, effective use of passive voice, or the importance of strong verbs).
- revising writing to enhance voice and style, sentence variety, subtlety of meaning, and tone in considerations of questions being addressed, purpose, audience, and genres.
- contrasting use of language conventions of authors in different time periods of British literature.
- analyzing the power of standard usage over nonstandard usage in formal settings such a job interviews, academic presentations, or public speaking events. - Objective 6.02: Discern and correct errors in speaking and writing by:
- reviewing and refining purposeful use of various sentence types.
- editing for correct punctuation, spelling, mechanics, and standard edited American English.
- using appropriate transitional words and phrases.
- Objective 6.01: Apply knowledge of literary terms, grammar, and rhetoric in order to write clearly, succinctly, and accurately by:



